N.M. rancher charged with 43 counts of animal cruelty

A New Mexico rancher is under fire after officials seized his herd of cattle amid allegations of animal cruelty.

KRQE News reports that officials with the New Mexico Livestock Board took 43 head of cattle that had been crammed into half an acre with little food and no water near Albuquerque, N.M.

"They didn't have no grazing area at all," said Ray Baca of the New Mexico Livestock Board. "In fact my understanding is when they picked up the animals, that they didn't have any water at the time, or feed."

The Livestock Board has since charged Paul Byers, who owned the cattle, with 43 counts of cruelty to animals.

Despite efforts to rescue the animals, 20 cows died after developing a respiratory disease.

However, a man helping Byers with the case suggests there is more to the story. He says that Byers was in the process of moving his cattle after a dispute with the Bureau of Land Management. Click here to read more.